Thomastown West Primary School

NEWSLETTER 98-112 Main Street, Thomastown, Victoria 3074 – Ph: 9465 4317

Email: thomastown.west.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au – Website: www.thomwestps.vic.edu.au

NEWSLETTER No. 30

FROM THE ACTING PRINCIPAL:

Friday 11th of November 2016

Hello everyone,

A Special Visitor

As you know, this year teachers at our school have

begun to implement the School Wide Positive

Behaviour Support framework. Last Friday, we

were very lucky to have a visit from Dan Petro, a

Positive Behaviour Consultant. (Thank you Mr

Bell for organising this visit.) Dan’s expertise

comes from teaching courses at universities in

California such as Dynamics of Behaviour

Change, Behaviour Management in the

Classroom, Advanced Behaviour Analysis,

and Crisis Counselling.

Dan visited four of our classes and met with five

individual teachers as well as meeting with our

School Wide Positive Behaviour team. He was

able to provide a customised approach for each

teacher and their grade, with an emphasis sharing

positive behavioural strategies for effectively

preventing and responding to problem behaviour

situations. What a fabulous learning opportunity

for us all!

Prep Transition

On Wednesday we had our first session of Prep

transition. We welcomed our 2017 Prep students

and their families to our school. As I took the

Group B parents and carers for a tour around our

wonderful school I was very proud of all of the

students showing the school values and striving to

do their best. Well done boys and girls!! Our 2017

Preps also had a lovely afternoon and left with

huge smiles on their faces. There is still more fun

to be had as we still have two more sessions over

the coming weeks.

2017 Enrolments

Thank you to all the families who have enrolled

new children for 2017. I know there are still a

number of families who have not enrolled their

prep child for 2017. Please collect an enrolment

form from the office to complete. We have

experienced a number of enrolments for this term

as well as 2017 which is very encouraging.

It is important for us to have accurate enrolment

numbers for children attending our school in 2017

so that the best possible class structures and class

sizes can be organised. As always, our children,

their learning and development, will remain our

top priorities. Please contact us to let us know if

your child/children will not be attending TWPS

in 2017.

2017 Grade Placements

Work on the 2017 grade placements is about to

get underway. If you have any concerns or

important information regarding your child’s

grade placement for 2017 please put these in

writing and address the envelope, marked

confidential, to Sandi Young by FRIDAY 25th

NOVEMBER.

In the coming weeks the students will be given an

opportunity in their class to make a short list of

students they would like to be with in 2017. We

guarantee them one of the students on their list

unless there are unusual circumstances. These

circumstances would then be discussed with their

parents or carers. Student requests can only be in

relation to friendships and teacher requests will

not be considered.

Cybersafety

This week the teachers enjoyed another

professional learning session about Cyber Safety.

Our students have grown up in a digital era and

are learning to navigate the online world at a

younger and younger age. Our school is an eSmart

school which means we work hard to be smart,

safe and responsible when using digital

technologies.

IMPORTANT CYBERSAFETY TIPS for parents

and carers:

Make sure your child does not spend all of

his/her time on the computer/iPad/device.

Organise certain times when your children

can use the Internet and the computer or

iPad

Keep the computer/iPad/device in an area

where it can be monitored, like the family

room, kitchen or living room, never in

your child’s bedroom.

Learn enough about computer or iPad so

you can enjoy them together with your

kids.

Teach them never to meet an online friend

offline.

Watch your children when they’re online

and see where they go.

Make sure that your children feel

comfortable coming to you with questions

and don’t over react if things go wrong.

Teach them what information they can

share with others online and what they

can’t (like telephone numbers, address,

their full name and school)

A valuable resource which is useful for students

and parents which is available online:

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/

bullystoppers/Pages/students.aspx

Together we are working on pathways to success!

Keep up that lifelong learning.

Sandi Young

Acting Principal

Prep Room 2 Ethan Grade 3/4 Room 16 Imane & Asel

Grade 3/4 Room 17 Fahad & Nabaa

Grade 1 Room 4 Kevin & Naitik Grade 3/4 Room 18 Anthony

Grade 1 Room 6 Lovelle & Aggelos Grade 3/4 Room 19 Sarah & Adam

Grade 2 Room 1 Jye Grade 3/4 Room 20 Jack

Grade 2 Room 5 Heiba

Grade 5/6 Room 9 Sofia

Music Carli Grade 5/6 Room 11 Yuan & Ayham

Art Charles Grade 5/6 Room 12 Justin

CHILDREN ARRIVING AT SCHOOL

BEFORE 8:30am

We have noticed that a number of children are

arriving at school before 8:30am.

Unless attending Breakfast Club children

cannot be outside school until there is teacher

supervision which is 8:30am. This is due to safety

reasons. Thank you for your cooperation

Cup of Life

Well done to Room 17 who were the week 5

winners for Cup of Life! These students are now

in the running for the end of term prize!

Transition

Transition and change is something that happens

to all people very regularly. All students will

experience change at the end of this year and will

transition into a new grade next year. For some

students and families this may also mean a new

school, especially for our grade 6 students! School

transition can have a BIG impact on kids and it is

important that the adults in their life support them

through this. Our school is very aware of this and

has dedicated transition programs whereby

students are provided with various opportunities

to plan and prepare for change and transition.

Even if they are not moving schools or even areas

within the school, a new teacher and new

classmates can have a significant impact. Some

possible difficulties during periods of transition

can include; low self-esteem; rapid changes in

mood and behaviour; time management issues and

stress or anxiety. Often when this occurs kids will

feel frustrated and become anxious or disruptive

to others around them. It’s important that we are

aware of these situations and seek to help our kids

to manage the change and navigate through these

circumstances. The following are some possible

tips:

Be alert to how they are handling the

change and whether they are experiencing

difficulty.

Be supportive at all times and seek to offer

encouragement

Be available to answer questions they may

have

Discuss their habits for homework and

ensure they are completing all set tasks.

Speak to their teachers if necessary.

If you believe your child/ren is struggling

with change or transition speak to their

teacher or a member of the wellbeing team

about how we may be able to help.

More information on handling transition can be

found at www.kidshelp.com.au

Take Care,

Tim Brown

Hi Everyone,

Playgroup – FREE TO EVERYONE –

Thursdays, 10 am & Fridays at 9 am in the HUB

at the school The children enjoy free play, story

and music time. PLEASE COME

Playgroup is a great way to help children to

develop socially!!

Ever had a child in a grumpy mood and she just

doesn’t know how to make herself feel better?

Alternatively, you may have experienced a child

who comes home from school so angry that there’s

steam coming from his ears.

Feeling emotional extremes is part of life, but that

doesn’t mean we need to stay in those states.

Here are 3 practical strategies kids can use to shift

their moods:

1. “Take a breathe…take a few actually”

Perhaps the simplest way for child to feel

better, whether it’s too settle some nerves

before a talk or reduce anxiousness before

meeting new friends, is to take three or four

deep breaths. Deep breathing releases

dopamine into their system, moving kids

toward the yellow or green zones on

the Mood Meter.

2. “Picture yourself…”Encourage your kids to

carry a picture of a favourite thing – person,

pet or holiday – to help them move them to

a happier place when needed. Pictures and

photos can impact at a deep emotional level.

Anyone who carries a picture of a loved one

with them will know how powerful a visual

reminder can be.

3. “DO something…”Boys are action-oriented and

tend to act out their feelings more than girls. When

they are happy they dance and gig around and

when they are mad many become aggressive or just

more active. Boys also can use action to dissipate

emotion or shift their mood to a better place. If they

are angry then insist they play an active game or

sport to get the energy out. Lethargy, boredom and

other passive emotional states too can be shifted

through physical activity.

Michael Grose has an on-line course Mood Meter

Program: Building Emotional Intelligence that will

teach you to help you and your child better manage

moods, modify feelings and regulate emotional

reactions. It’s based in the ground-breaking work of

Prof. Marc Brackett from the Yale Centre for

Emotional Intelligence.

Register online at http://www.parentingideasclub.com.au/Info/2016-courses

Looking for work?

Asylum Seekers aged 18 – 35 are invited to a two

day workshop to help you prepare your resume and

how to find employment.

When Tuesday 22 November and Thursday 24 November. Eligibility Young asylum seekers aged between 18–35 years with work rights. Cost The program is free of charge. Lunch will be provided. Location Epping Community Services Hub 713 High Street, Epping 3076 Mona Ray-Greig EPYAS Officer Email: mona.ray-greig@bsl.org.au Phone: 0427 965 829 See attached flyer for detail

If I can help you and your family in

anyway, please contact the office. My days at the

school are usually Tuesday, Wednesday and

Friday.

Robyn Mulholland (Student Wellbeing Team)